The present invention relates to an assembly for providing a strong and durable access flooring over a permanent surface which is self-aligning and easy to install. It is currently the practice in installing access flooring for use in computer rooms, large office spaces and the like to employ a combination of pedestal supports and panels wherein loosely fitting lugs extend between the pedestal supports and the panels to prevent a panel from sliding off its support. While such systems do provide access to the sub-floor, they have several disadvantages. Due to the imprecise alignment of the individual panels in such a system, installation is a difficult and time consuming process. The entire grid system must be precisely laid out prior to mounting of the panels and the work commences in one corner and then along two walls. The error in alignment of the individual panels is cumulative and a large number of the perimeter panels must be trimmed to size. Trimmed panels are, of course, not generally reusable and result in waste and economic loss. Such systems are also generally dependent on walls for perimeter retention which creates additional problems in construction as building walls are rarely, if ever, truly square.
Another system currently used employs elongated stringers to achieve lateral strength and greater retention of the panels. However, such systems generally suffer from the same disabilities as the former in that they still do not provide precise dimensional control in the lateral directions and further greatly limit the access to the sub-floor creating undesirable interference and possible injury to personnel and making it considerably more difficult to run electrical wiring beneath the access flooring due to the large number of obstructions caused by the supporting stringers.
In addition to the difficulties encountered in assembling the access flooring systems heretofore available, the imprecise mounting of the individual panels often results in a shifting or lateral displacement of the panels during use. In fact, during large installations it is often necessary to barricade the working area to prevent overnight shifting of the partially completed work. As a result of this shifting, if a panel ever needs to be replaced, this lack of dimensional control makes replacement of a single panel quite difficult and often times impossible, thereby generating a major replacement operation. In present access flooring systems, panels are generally removed and replaced in a cocked and tilted position. This can create much damage to the trim edge during normal removal and replacement of panels as a result of highly localized pressures against the trim edge. The lack of lateral stability results in non-uniform clearances between panels and an abnormally tight fit, resulting from shifting, very much increases the possibility of damage to the trim edges in the normal removal and replacement of panels. Another problem often encountered with the aforesaid assemblies is the difficulty of maintaining an air-tight seal between adjacent panels, resulting in an uneven air distribution.
While systems for supporting access flooring are currently available which do not employ elongated stringers, and consequently avoid the above obstruction problem, such systems again do not provide any means by which the panels can be precisely aligned, and, consequently, all of the above problems resulting from such imprecise alignment are encountered and in addition, these systems offer very little lateral stability. It would be highly desirable to provide an economical assembly which includes means for precisely aligning the individual panels in access flooring, thereby greatly simplifying installation, as well as providing superior access flooring. The present invention provides such an assembly.